* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #848 / Revived #068 on 2024 07 17 *

Welcome to the Wednesday Comments and Critique (No Theme & No Brand) thread!

We are dedicated to continuing the great tradition of this C&C thread because we are convinced that looking at, and talking about images is vital for better photography.

Our tried and tested concept (15 years and running!) is a weekly "peer-to-peer" photo comments & critique encounter, in which you GIVE and RECEIVE.
The idea is simple: you post an image and get critique on it, and in return give other people your opinion of their images, or vice versa.

Any Theme, Any Camera, Any Style, Any Subject.

We are still figuring out how to create the convenience of threaded view on this new forum.
For now, let us agree that you post an image or essay with a title and short explanation, and that all comments include the image as a quote.
Replies to comments may or may not include quotes.

THREAD GUIDELINES – THE SHORT & SWEET VERSION
• This thread does not care about brands. It’s not about the tool, but the image.
• Post one image or essay that you would like to get comments on.
An entry can either be a single image or a short essay. With an essay we mean not a collection of random images without any connection, seeking C&C on more than one of them. We mean instead a limited number (3 to 10) of connected images that together try to tell a story, create a fuller picture of a situation, event or location, etc.
• Add a clear title to your post to distinguish your entry.
• Look at the other images/essays and give your comments on at least one of those.
• For comments, try to go beyond a simple pat on the back or a short dismissal.
• Do you like an image (or essay) ? Try to explain WHY it appeals to you.
• Negative feedback is OK (we all want to learn), but be polite and constructive. Try to explain why the image (or essay) does not appeal to you and how it might be improved.
• Please stay on topic, i.e. concentrate on the image and the photographic comments, without getting into politics or other distractions. No non-photographic arguments.

The critique you give is vital.
What was your first impression? What catches your eye about an image? Why?
What do you like, and what distracts you? What would you change?

Fiddle with the image in your head - composition, perspective, color balance, exposure.

PLEASE NOTE CLEARLY:
**Unless the original poster specifically states (for every individual posting offered for C&C) that they do not want their image(s) to be downloaded, altered or reposted, it is understood that within the context of this thread, other participants are free to download and alter the posted image and repost it in a reply for C&C purposes. That reposted image may remain permanently within the week's thread, or you may remove it after a short period of time if you prefer. The downloaded and altered images are not to be used for any other purposes nor uploaded anywhere else than within the context of the C&C in this thread. No copyright disputes here!

Encourage - it is a scary business putting your work up for other people to judge!

More general feedback is also welcome.
Do you know something about taking the same sort of image that would make matters easier - share your own as an example in your reply.

Have fun and let’s stick together!

SUNSET & SUNRISE IN THE MIDDLE AGES

I've recently been de-archiving some older galleries that Zenfolio had seen fit to archive.
One of the retrieved galleries is one that I shot "after hours" and "before hours" at a yearly Middle Ages reenactment event in Deurne (close to my home).
The event is called -- in ancient Flemish spelling - "De Quaeye Werelt" (The Bad World) and it is one of the biggest such events in Europe.

Some info (in Flemish):
dequaeyewerelt.be/

Over three or four days, scores of visitors come to Sterckshof in Deurne to witness medieval reenactment groups from many different countries, with some groups representing military companies (royal army, mercenaries, knights) and others presenting the life of tradespeople, farmers and craftsmen, all living in tents and pretending they are attending a medieval yearly fair or gathering in a provincial town or small city.

The event has "official hours" during which visitors can roam the site freely, and attend numerous spectacles, like presentations of falconry or even military parades, tournaments and a daily battle between knights and foot soldiers. The site is very crowded then.

I chose to come later in the day, mingling with the reenactors in their "spare time", when they drink beer, roast a piglet and prepare for the night (or have just woken up).

The resulting photo gallery (with some further explanation) is here:

roelh.zenfolio.com/p124954993

For this thread now here, I have selected a few images in identical ratio, without people (you'll have to go find those in the gallery), but more as an evocation of the atmosphere in the medieval camp at sunset and sunrise :
(thanks, Dan, for catching the error in my original posting)

This last one is very Monty Pythonesque, in that it gives directions to the lavatories and the battlefield.

I love the late afternoon light. It sets the atmosphere for the photos very well. The curved tent poles in the second last photo I'm not too keen on, but that's just me.

BATH TIME

Actually you are right.
These were not all sunrise.
The first two were around sunset (20.50 h) , the rest around sunrise the next day (05.30h).
I'll amend my posting to reflect that.
Thanks for catching it.

About the curved poles: fisheye effect.
I use my fisheye (among other things) to capture full interiors.

Approaching

Amazing series, actually more than historical. It gives us all great insight into life in Middle Ages.
Some incredible details and of course the background. Very informative.
My choice...

They all tell the story, but there can only be one, at least for me...

Orangerie

Please do not alter this photo.

Excellent contrast and colours of the building make this photo. Very good.

Button Bush & Residents

Rule of thirds is observed and effect is wonderful. We see a ball looking plant with rope-like needles and some kind of resident (butterfly?). I like the background which plays very well to overall impression of nature. Colours are spot on. We'll done.

This is an interesting photo. It looks familiar, and I think I may have been there, but I cant recall where it is. A pity about the light bulbs... 😀

David

Very nice image with the colours making it very easy on my eyes 😊 Adding a little more contrast would make it pop more on my screen.

Very good series, these are my favorites.

An interesting photo, well taken.
The title could just as well be shiny stairs 😀

When I look at the photo in full size, the level of detail is overwhelming.
The composition is right, the colors are vibrant and the sharpness is not exaggerated.
An outstanding photo!

Schlossgarten in Erlangen, Germany.